Visitation
by JuliaBC
Summary: When Severus doesn't visit like he says he would, Ginny goes to confront him.


Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Ginny got home from work early, having guilted Ron into giving her a day off. She had spent the first half getting her hair done and picking a new outfit. She knew it was vain but couldn't help herself. She didn't go shopping often anyway so she might have gone soon even if Severus wasn't coming. Now she placed her newly bought outfit on the bed and walked back into the living room. She had to clean. It wasn't that messy, but she wanted Severus to see beyond the tiny apartment and she definitely didn't want him thinking it a mess. He could be awfully critical, that she knew.

It was a few hours later before she acknowledged it was as good as it was going to get. It was now 4:30, and she expected Severus around 6, after he closed his shop. Now she went to shower—placing an impervius charm on her hair first—and then went into the bedroom and changed her clothes. She was afraid that if she wore anything fancy, Severus would think she was trying too hard so she had picked out clothes for their quality; and what she had picked was a green cardigan, really nice jeans and a black camisole to wear under the cardigan. She looked nice, she admitted, looking in the mirror. Now she headed to the fireplace and quickly flooed over to the Weasley family home to pick up Elicia. Her mum was a bit surprised to see her so soon but made no issue, thankfully. Now it was five. She had a full hour of playing with Elicia before she had a hope of seeing Severus. She didn't mind, for she always loved to spend time with her daughter.

Why had he said what he did? Why did that, all right, fall from his lips? Well, he knew why. Ginny's hand had been on his and she had been saying please. Ginny's hand had felt so wonderful on his...it was small and soft, just like it had been at the dance. He shook his head to clear it. He could not entertain thoughts like those. As much as Ginny...intrigued him, he could not let it go farther. He was Severus Snape, and no matter that he had been a double agent, the Weasley family was definitely still wary around him, for good reason! He had cut ties with Harry as much as he could and Harry had finally stopped trying to contact him. He had no contact with the wizarding world except Minerva, and, thank the gods, she didn't correspond often. Now Severus just wanted peace. To be alone! Well, if he was honest, he wanted to be alone with Ginny...now those thoughts again! He slammed his hand down on the counter and winced at the pain. Good! If Ginny continued to pursue him like this, her heart would hurt worse than his hand! He knew that hurting her was inevitable, written in his blood. He flashed back, painfully, to a terrible scene, his father standing over his mother, whose wrist and hand were now broken. He shuddered and broke away from the memory. All right, he wouldn't go that far, he admitted, but some mental wounds are more painful than physical. No one commits suicide because your arm is broken, they commit suicide because their spirit is...with a groan he fell to the floor, remembering the terrible day he had found his mother, strung up with her bathrobe tie, just unable to take her husband's beatings anymore. "ENOUGH!" He bellowed, and ran to his desk, writing out a missive. "I cannot make it. Do not contact me again. Snape." He didn't dare write Severus, or Ginny. It would make it too personal. And if he wrote Ginny…Stop it, he warned himself, giving the missive to his owl, Brandon.

It was a quarter to six. Ginny was feeling more and more antsy and was starting to wish she hadn't come home so early. With a whoosh, an owl swooped through the window, startling Ginny. She didn't recognize it, and took the letter it held with trembling fingers. She read the message and crushed it in her fist. "You will not do this to me!" She cried out, startling Elicia. She ran to the fireplace and threw the dust, shouting, "The Burrow!" Once there, she gave Elicia to her surprised mother and went back the way she came. Running out of her flat, she twisted on the spot, and found herself by a small Potion Ingredients shop. She went to the door, and opened it, storming into the shop. Severus looked up and the look on his face was so terrible Ginny hesitated.

"You can't do this to me," she said, walking near, to be right by the counter. "I won't let you do this to me. Severus, I love you. What is best for me is to be with the man that I love, don't you think? I have been through this before, with Harry. Maybe then that was best for me, but now it isn't. There's no danger, Severus. There's nothing to be afraid of. All these years you've been hiding, first as a follower of Voldemort, then as a sadistic teacher. Harry says that you're the bravest man he ever knew! But right now, I see nothing but a coward!"

His hand was so fast she didn't see it coming, only felt the sting on her cheek from his slap. "DON'T CALL ME A COWARD!" He screamed, and there was white hot fury in his eyes and face. A woman less in love than Ginny would have faltered then, but she couldn't let herself "Besides, what can you say about love? Everyone knows Harry dumped you when you were expelled from school, right before exams, for sleeping with the Defense teacher!"

This hurt more than Ginny would like to admit. "I wasn't sleeping with him!" She screamed back. "It was a lot of circumstantial evidence. And he didn't like that I'd refused him so he wove this rigmarole about how I seduced and charmed him and made him drink a love potion! I didn't!" And she was crying now. "Our only contact was when he asked me to sleep with him. I refused. A student caught the first half of our conversation, but not the second, and reported us! He gave testimony! False testimony! My only comfort is that he was fired also."

"Who is Elicia's father?" Severus fired off, his eyes piercing hers. She drew in a trembling breath. Could she really tell this story? "Elicia's father is...Cornelius Fudge."

Snape face blanched. "What do you mean to say?" He said, shocked.

"We met at some charity function. Because I was on a Quidditch team and all that. He was drunk and I was depressed. I'd like to say he raped me but he didn't. He was just a kind face. I...I never told him about Elicia but I think he guessed, because he sent me my car."

Snape swore violently. "And after all that, you think you need me in your life?" He asked in disbelief. "I will turn into my father, Ginevra. Do you know what my father was? No, you don't know anything about me! Well, for the record, he was monster. He drove my mother into committing suicide and then he turned his fists and tongue on me. I just slapped you, Ginevra, do you really think it won't get worse? Hell, maybe that's how it started with my parents—"

"Shut up." Ginny said, and, leaping over the counter, kissed him. It was not a gentle kiss, nor was it very pleasant. But when she broke away from Severus, she knew she was winning. "Severus," she crooned, cradling his face in her hands, "I love you so much. When we met at the ball…It was a miracle for me that you'd even speak to me, let alone dance with me. Please, Severus. I'm not promising that it will be easy, but we have love on our side. We can win this. You beat Voldemort, don't you think you can beat the demons of your past?" He was trembling, and tears ran down his face. "I'm so, so sorry Ginny. I just...lost control. I am afraid, I am a coward. Please forgive me Ginny," he said, weeping.

"Only if you admit you love me." She said.

"I love you. You and only you. I stopped loving Lily in a...a romantic way a long time ago. When I met you at the ball, you overwhelmed me, with your beauty and acceptance of me." He was breathing heavily, and still trembling. "You are the only woman in my heart, Ginny. Please, accept me into yours."

"I already have." Ginny said, and pulled him closer, "I did it long ago."

Even then, though, Ginny knew that they had a long way to go. Even as Severus's mouth claimed hers in a bittersweet kiss, she knew the real battle was only beginning. But now...she wanted to enjoy the moment, and kissed him back, pouring all her love into that kiss. She never wanted to let Severus go, but the moment was ending, and he was pulling back with a dazed look on his face. "Come along, Severus," she said, taking his arm. "We're going to meet my daughter.

Author's Note: This story took a bit of a different turn than I thought it would, and it isn't over yet! Originally, I was going to stop after the first story, and just have Snape not leave the ball. But then I wrote that Snape left and of course had to follow up on that. I meant for this story to be lighter and funnier, but if you think about it, Snape has a lot of dragons in his past. It just wasn't realistic to expect them to go away like magic when he fell in love. They'd have to be battled. And I do have more in store, so please don't go away! I hope you enjoyed this story, and I'm afraid you won't, thinking it not in tune with the other ones.


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